As long as I have danced (since 1947) Taw has been the man's partner and, to my knowledge, was never derogatory. In my first two years dancing to Ralph Page and Gene Gowing, I don't believe either used the term. Starting in 1949 I was dancing with Al Brundage who had just returned from Pappy Shaw's and I believe that was the first that I heard the term Taw. Jim Mayo In a message dated 7/20/2017 8:08:13 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, trad-dance-callers(a)yahoogroups.com writes: What did Taw mean and why is it no longer used? (I seem to remember seeing something about it being considered derogatory, or is that just my lousy memory?)